PoetryJoe

Following The success of the scratch performances of Bear over 2008 I’m now organising a re-write of the piece into an hour long play. Bear fever has struck and I have found myself reading about the various types of Bear around the world. I spent new year in India and was hoping to see a Sloth bear whilst on a safari. My partner and I got dangerously close to one – or so we thought as our guide motioned at us with wide eyes to stay back as he tentatively peered into the bush where a large creature could be heard moving. We stayed back hearts thumping in our chests starting to regret our enthusiasm in coming safari despite a lack of appropriate footwear and armed with nothing more than big sticks. The noise got louder and closer until a very skinny man emerged from the bush with fire wood in hand. Despite the relief felt I still want to see a Bear in the wild

on 21st June I will be performing extracts from my one man show ‘Bear’ at the ICA and then again at the Big Chill Festival in August. The show follows the fleeing of an arctic scientist, Sebastian, from thinning ice and the claws of an enormous bear. The research for this show has been fascinating it is apparent that globally bears hold a mystical fascination over the human mind. I have read stories of bears kidnapping and raising children, of helping lost travelers find their ways out of jungles, even of their presence having negative effects on the health of those that cross their path or breathe their air. I must get myself down to London zoo to see one up close, although I must admit a little trepidation, after getting so heavily into their world going to a zoo to see one seems somewhat disrespectful.

I had a script meeting with my director Annette Mees the other day who has asked some fundamental questions about the themes in the piece such as nature, man, civilisation and how they clash. Being a great fan of the action I’m particularly interested in what happens when discordant elements meet. this was wonderfully portrayed in a recent visit to see the History Boys where the almost opposing forces of two teachers have dramatic and literal coming together. In ‘Bear’ I want to explore these clashes of elements but not just between man, cold, bear, civilisation, industry, nature but also between actor, audience, light and dark.